Atlantic au Pineau

Brewed by Brasserie des Gabariers (Cognac L & L)
Style: Golden Ale/Blond Ale
Cognac, France

I had meant to pass this one up as I am not into fruity beers, etc. Sugar sizzles out of the body and gives it a good initial head. Not much colour in body. Taste is sugary fruit punch. A couple of sips and I fed the drain.

Gold beverage. Nose shows the sweet Pineau des Charentes wine character, but in a balanced and disciplined measure. Unfortunately, this restraint doesn’t show through in taste. The flavour is unnaturally sweet and syrupy, and generally straddles the line between a good and bad experience. A novelty that doesn’t work in the real world.

So like...I’ve had cognac before. Is it supposed to be this sweet? Very fizzy and sugary with surprising notes of alcohol in the finish. Very juice-like with apple flavours. Unpleasant grapeskin finish. Blaahh.

Bottel from the LCBO, served cold in a tulip glass. AP24/07.

App.: Slightly pinkish golden, large foamy head, clear. Aroma: Metallic, sweet grain/cereal, mild floral hops, grapes and apples, vinous and alcoholic. Palate: Medium body, slightly syrupy and moderately carbonated. Flav.: Biscuits, bread, light fruitiness; too sweet, sort of strange alcoholic wine finish.

How do you dispose of crappy beer and excess Pineau des Charentes?? Mix them and sell their bastard offspring to gullible Canucks.

Bottle. Standard dark yellow, but white bubbly head and lots of streaming bubbles. Aroma is slightly sweet, slightly grassy, not really much there. Surprisingly thick frothy body, the best thing about this beer - this part was really nice. Taste - um, let’s see - I’m not familiar at all with Pineau des Charentes, so that’s no help. But what is here is a standard light ale and one great big pile of sugar. Served slightly chilled out of my wine chiller, it actually wasn’t the alcho-pop/beer I thought it would be. It is simply a serviceable ale that is artificially sweetened tot he extreme. Not near as bad as expected, but 0 reason to buy again.

Bottle from the LCBO. Golden colour with a massive white head that disappears fairly quickly. Aroma is a bit grassy, and quite sweet, almost cloyingly so. Body is sticky. Flavour is very sweet, notes of white grape juice and sugar syrup, with a middling beer behind it. Serviceable as an apertif, perhaps, but as a beer, it’s not very good.

Nice golden body with average carbonation and a thick off-white frothy head. Fair malty/hoppy aroma with sweet, honeyish notes. Taste is thinner than I was expecting. It is mainly malty and carries bready and fruity/sweet hints. It ends with a short bittersweet finish. Without being bad, that beer is rather boring.

Looks and smells alright. But it’s a very sweet ale. Luckily, the sweetness doesn’t linger very long. Fruity and malty. Decent, and extra points for being a bit different.